Frustration, Not “Rage”: Understanding the Difference and Why It Matter

When people hear the word rage in the context of gaming, they often picture broken controllers, slammed desks, or the familiar phrase rage quitting. Over time, the word has become shorthand for extreme frustration, not just in gaming but in sports, hobbies, and competitive activities of all kinds.

But Maxim, the creator of RagePAD, understands something many people overlook: not all “rage” is the same, and some of it has nothing to do with gaming at all.

That distinction matters — and Maxim wants to be clear that his invention is not meant to endorse, minimize, or marginalize real emotional rage, bullying, or violence.

Why Maxim Uses the Word “Frustration”

“One of the reasons we try to use the word frustration,” Maxim explains, “is because it’s more accurate.”

RagePAD was created to help with physical frustration release — the kind that builds up during intense gaming sessions or focused activities. It was never designed to address the deep emotional pain caused by bullying, harassment, or cruelty, whether online or in real life.

Those experiences, Maxim is quick to say, require real support.

“The feelings people have when they’re being bullied can’t be helped by a pad,” he says. Xavier adds, “That’s something that needs parents, friends, therapists, or sometimes even law enforcement.”

Bullying is something Maxim takes seriously, in part because he has encountered it himself.

Online Bullying, Trolling, and Rage-Baiting

“I’ve never really been bullied at school,” Maxim says. “Maybe because I’m big for my grade or because I have a lot of friends. I’ve been lucky there.”

Online, however, has been a different story — especially since launching RagePADs.

What Maxim describes is commonly referred to as trolling or rage-baiting. This occurs when individuals deliberately post inflammatory, insulting, or cruel comments to provoke emotional reactions and drive engagement.

“Most of the comments are really positive,” Maxim says. “I love reading them when I can. But sometimes you’re scrolling and there’s just that one comment that makes you feel awful.”

Despite AI moderation tools, blocked keywords, and help from his older brother Xavier, who actively screens comments, some still get through.

“There are negative comments about controlling frustration better,” Maxim says. “Those don’t bother me. They’re technically right, but they don’t change why RagePADs exist and how many people react like I do.”

The comments that hurt most are different.

“The ones that really hurt are when people make fun of my lisp,” he says. “Or when they associate me with violence. Or when they accuse my family of using my cancer to make money.”

Maxim explains that while his current treatment allows him to eat more and grow his hair back, he is still undergoing chemotherapy every three weeks and takes daily chemo medication.

Xavier adds, “He doesn’t post pictures of all the days he is too sick to get out of bed, or the days he is at St. Jude hooked up to tubes,” Xavier says. “He was clear to try to keep the focus on RagePADs and the fact that, despite his challenges, he is building something and trying to do good with his success.”

Maxim chimes in to say, “I’m excited to see my idea take off and to start to build a real brand. It is a great distraction for the negative parts of my day — but I still go to bed every night praying my tumors will go away.”

Building RagePADs

RagePADs, Maxim explains, are his project, even though his family helps.

“My brother runs social media because I’m 14. My dad helps with contracts and things that need a legal adult,” he says. “When we were getting more than 100 orders a day I bought pizza for my brother’s friends to help me pack and ship orders because I could not do it myself and I did not want anybody to miss a Christmas present.”

“But this was my idea. I make the decisions. I hand-make every RagePAD+. Outside of those 3 days, I pack and ship every order myself.”

A glance at Maxim’s desk tells the story. It is filled with packing materials, tools, parts, prototypes, and a shipping label printer — which is the only non-gaming device plugged into his computer.

Xavier adds, “Yeah, nobody got paid from RagePADs — in fact every dime he made so far he either re-invested or donated.”

Rage-Baiting for Profit

What makes online bullying especially dangerous today is that it is no longer just personal. In many cases, it can be profitable — which changes the incentives for those spreading hateful or inflammatory content.

Social media platforms use engagement-based algorithms that reward content generating high levels of interaction — whether that interaction is positive or negative. Posts that provoke outrage, anger, or controversy tend to get more views, comments, and shares, which in turn can increase a creator’s visibility and revenue share from advertising programs.

This dynamic is at the core of what researchers and commentators describe as rage-baiting — content designed to elicit emotional reactions to drive engagement and monetization.

In fact, rage bait was recognized in 2025 as Oxford University Press’s Word of the Year, highlighting how widespread and culturally significant this phenomenon has become.

Communication scholars explain that many creators earn money from platform revenue-sharing programs, such as TikTok’s Creator Fund, YouTube’s Partner Program, or similar bonuses that pay based on views and interaction metrics. Because outrage-driven content tends to keep users engaged longer and encourages more reactions, it often performs better under these systems than neutral or purely informational posts.

There are even tutorials and influencer-advice communities online that teach how to create controversy-driven content that maximizes engagement.

Because these individuals benefit financially from prolonged controversy, they are often unlikely to apologize or disengage. Many operate under anonymous or disposable accounts and face few real consequences.

Xavier explains how they handle it:

“Rage-baiting is what I try to deal with the fastest,” he says. “The best thing to do is block them and delete the comment immediately. That cuts off their revenue stream. They often come back under another account, but you stay on top of it and if you are diligent about it they usually move on to a different target.”

“It is the ones that say Maxim is pretending to be sick or exaggerating it to make money that are really hard for me. I have to bite my tongue but he is my little brother so it is not easy to do.”

The Real Impact of Cyberbullying

The effects of online bullying are well documented.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health shows that cyberbullying is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts among adolescents. One large U.S. study found that more than 75 percent of adolescents treated in emergency rooms for suicidal ideation reported experiencing cyberbullying.

Reputable resources on this topic include:

• StopBullying.gov
  
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bullying Research
  
  

• American Psychological Association, Cyberbullying
  
  

• Pew Research Center, Online Harassment
  

Focusing on the Positive

“I’m really excited that my invention has taken off,” Maxim says. “I’m happy I’ve been able to do some good because of it.”

For Maxim, RagePADs are more than a product. They are a positive focus during an otherwise difficult journey.

“I’m thankful I have my family and friends to help me deal with negativity online,” he says. “I feel bad for kids who don’t have that support.”

His message to them is simple and sincere:

“The emotions you feel are real,” Maxim says. “And you deserve help dealing with your bullies. Please talk to a grown-up you trust.”

A Clear Statement: RagePADs Is Not About Violence

Maxim does not joke about being an alternate to road rage or workplace violence. Nothing about things that actually kill or injure tens of thousands of people a year is funny or a reason to buy a RagePAD.

Despite the name, RagePADs wants nothing to do with real violence and should not be confused with people who make comments about it — or other companies that make light of violence in their marketing.

Maxim understands real suffering, pain, and rage firsthand, and he knows how different that is from the frustration we feel in games, sports, and competition.  

RagePADs exists for one purpose: safe frustration release, not aggression toward others.